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update NEWS
* NEWS: Update for 1.9.7, and fold new entries into the main text.
This commit is contained in:
Andy Wingo
parent
4a45769178
commit
cf8ec359cc
1 changed files with 348 additions and 15 deletions
363
NEWS
363
NEWS
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@ -10,10 +10,193 @@ prerelease, and a full NEWS corresponding to 1.8 -> 2.0.)
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Changes in 1.9.7 (since the 1.9.6 prerelease):
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** Complete support for version information in Guile's `module' form
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|
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Guile modules now have a `#:version' field. They may be loaded by
|
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version as well. See "R6RS Version References", "General Information
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about Modules", "Using Guile Modules", and "Creating Guile Modules" in
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the manual for more information.
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** Support for renaming bindings on module export
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Wherever Guile accepts a symbol as an argument to specify a binding to
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export, it now also accepts a pair of symbols, indicating that a binding
|
||||
should be renamed on export. See "Creating Guile Modules" in the manual
|
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for more information.
|
||||
|
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** Imported statprof, SSAX, and texinfo modules from Guile-Lib
|
||||
|
||||
The statprof statistical profiler, the SSAX XML toolkit, and the texinfo
|
||||
toolkit from Guile-Lib have been imported into Guile proper. See
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"Standard Library" in the manual for more details.
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||||
|
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** Function profiling and tracing at the REPL
|
||||
|
||||
The `,profile FORM' REPL meta-command can now be used to statistically
|
||||
profile execution of a form, to see which functions are taking the most
|
||||
time. See `,help profile' for more information.
|
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|
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Similarly, `,trace FORM' traces all function applications that occur
|
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during the execution of `FORM'. See `,help trace' for more information.
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** New debugger
|
||||
|
||||
By default, if an exception is raised at the REPL and not caught by user
|
||||
code, Guile will drop the user into a debugger. The user may request a
|
||||
backtrace, inspect frames, or continue raising the exception. Full
|
||||
documentation is available from within the debugger.
|
||||
|
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** New function, `truncated-print', with `format' support
|
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|
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`(ice-9 pretty-print)' now exports `truncated-print', a printer that
|
||||
will ensure that the output stays within a certain width, truncating the
|
||||
output in what is hopefully an intelligent manner. See the manual for
|
||||
more details.
|
||||
|
||||
There is a new `format' specifier, `~@y', for doing a truncated
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print (as opposed to `~y', which does a pretty-print). See the `format'
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documentation for more details.
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** Primitive procedures are now VM trampoline procedures
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|
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Guile's old evaluator used to have special cases for applying "gsubrs",
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primitive procedures with specified numbers of required, optional, and
|
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rest arguments. Now, however, Guile represents gsubrs as normal VM
|
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procedures, with appropriate bytecode to parse out the correct number of
|
||||
arguments, including optional and rest arguments, and then with a
|
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special bytecode to apply the gsubr.
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|
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This allows primitive procedures to appear on the VM stack, allowing
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them to be accurately counted in profiles. Also they now have more
|
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debugging information attached to them -- their number of arguments, for
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example. In addition, the VM can completely inline the application
|
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mechanics, allowing for faster primitive calls.
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|
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However there are some changes on the C level. There is no more
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||||
`scm_tc7_gsubr' or `scm_tcs_subrs' typecode for primitive procedures, as
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they are just VM procedures. Likewise the macros `SCM_GSUBR_TYPE',
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`SCM_GSUBR_MAKTYPE', `SCM_GSUBR_REQ', `SCM_GSUBR_OPT', and
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`SCM_GSUBR_REST' are gone, as are `SCM_SUBR_META_INFO', `SCM_SUBR_PROPS'
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`SCM_SET_SUBR_GENERIC_LOC', and `SCM_SUBR_ARITY_TO_TYPE'.
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Perhaps more significantly, `scm_c_make_subr',
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`scm_c_make_subr_with_generic', `scm_c_define_subr', and
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`scm_c_define_subr_with_generic'. They all operated on subr typecodes,
|
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and there are no more subr typecodes. Use the scm_c_make_gsubr family
|
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instead.
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|
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Normal users of gsubrs should not be affected, though, as the
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scm_c_make_gsubr family still is the correct way to create primitive
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procedures.
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|
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** SRFI-4 vectors reimplemented in terms of R6RS bytevectors
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|
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Guile now implements SRFI-4 vectors using bytevectors. Often when you
|
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have a numeric vector, you end up wanting to write its bytes somewhere,
|
||||
or have access to the underlying bytes, or read in bytes from somewhere
|
||||
else. Bytevectors are very good at this sort of thing. But the SRFI-4
|
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APIs are nicer to use when doing number-crunching, because they are
|
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addressed by element and not by byte.
|
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|
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So as a compromise, Guile allows all bytevector functions to operate on
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numeric vectors. They address the underlying bytes in the native
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endianness, as one would expect.
|
||||
|
||||
Following the same reasoning, that it's just bytes underneath, Guile
|
||||
also allows uniform vectors of a given type to be accessed as if they
|
||||
were of any type. One can fill a u32vector, and access its elements with
|
||||
u8vector-ref. One can use f64vector-ref on bytevectors. It's all the
|
||||
same to Guile.
|
||||
|
||||
In this way, uniform numeric vectors may be written to and read from
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||||
input/output ports using the procedures that operate on bytevectors.
|
||||
|
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Calls to SRFI-4 accessors (ref and set functions) from Scheme are now
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||||
inlined to the VM instructions for bytevector access.
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See "SRFI-4" in the manual, for more information.
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** Nonstandard SRFI-4 procedures now available from `(srfi srfi-4 gnu)'
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|
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Guile's `(srfi srfi-4)' now only exports those srfi-4 procedures that
|
||||
are part of the standard. Complex uniform vectors and the
|
||||
`any->FOOvector' family are now available only from `(srfi srfi-4 gnu)'.
|
||||
|
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Guile's default environment imports `(srfi srfi-4)', and probably should
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import `(srfi srfi-4 gnu)' as well.
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See "SRFI-4 Extensions" in the manual, for more information.
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** Unicode: String normalization, general categories, title case
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Guile now exports the Unicode string normalization functions
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`string-normalize-nfc', `string-normalize-nfd', `string-normalize-nfkc',
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and `string-normalize-nfkd'. See "String Comparison" in the manual for
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more information. See "Characters" for information on the new
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||||
`char-general-category', and "Character Case Mapping" for
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`char-titlecase', `char-locale-titlecase', and
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`string-locale-titlecase'.
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** Faster access to the free variables of a closure
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Guile's old garbage collector limited the size of Scheme objects to be 2
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or 4 words. Now with the BDW collector, Guile can allocate
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variable-sized objects, allowing storage of the free variables of a
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closure inline to the closure itself.
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** New primitive `getsid'
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Scheme binding for the `getsid' C library call.
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** Changed invocation mechanics of applicable SMOBs
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||||
|
||||
Guile's old evaluator used to have special cases for applying SMOB
|
||||
objects. Now, with the VM, when Guile sees a SMOB, it looks up a VM
|
||||
trampoline procedure for it, and use the normal mechanics to apply the
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||||
trampoline. This simplifies procedure application in the normal,
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non-SMOB case.
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The upshot is that the mechanics used to apply a SMOB are different from
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||||
1.8. Descriptors no longer have `apply_0', `apply_1', `apply_2', and
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`apply_3' functions, and the macros SCM_SMOB_APPLY_0 and friends are now
|
||||
deprecated. Just use the scm_call_0 family of procedures.
|
||||
|
||||
** Remove deprecated array C interfaces
|
||||
|
||||
Removed the deprecated array functions `scm_i_arrayp',
|
||||
`scm_i_array_ndim', `scm_i_array_mem', `scm_i_array_v',
|
||||
`scm_i_array_base', `scm_i_array_dims', and the deprecated macros
|
||||
`SCM_ARRAYP', `SCM_ARRAY_NDIM', `SCM_ARRAY_CONTP', `SCM_ARRAY_MEM',
|
||||
`SCM_ARRAY_V', `SCM_ARRAY_BASE', and `SCM_ARRAY_DIMS'.
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||||
|
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** String encoding errors throw to `encoding-error' instead of `misc-error'
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||||
|
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** Keyword argument errors uniformly throw to `keyword-argument-error'
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** Remove unused snarf macros
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||||
|
||||
`SCM_DEFINE1', `SCM_PRIMITIVE_GENERIC_1', `SCM_PROC1, and `SCM_GPROC1'
|
||||
are no more. Use SCM_DEFINE or SCM_PRIMITIVE_GENERIC instead.
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|
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** Add foreign value wrapper
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||||
|
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Guile now has a datatype for aliasing "foreign" values, such as native
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||||
long values. This should be useful for making a proper foreign function
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||||
interface. Interested hackers should see libguile/foreign.h.
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||||
|
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** New functions: `scm_call_n', `scm_c_run_hookn'
|
||||
|
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`scm_call_n' applies to apply a function to an array of arguments.
|
||||
`scm_c_run_hookn' runs a hook with an array of arguments.
|
||||
|
||||
** Load path change: search in version-specific paths before site paths
|
||||
|
||||
When looking for a module, Guile now searches first in Guile's
|
||||
version-specific path (the library path), *then* in the site dir. This
|
||||
allows Guile's copy of SSAX to override any Guile-Lib copy the user has
|
||||
installed. Also it should cut the number of `stat' system calls by half,
|
||||
in the common case.
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||||
|
||||
** And of course, the usual collection of bugfixes
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||||
|
||||
Interested users should see the ChangeLog for more information.
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|
|
@ -30,6 +213,12 @@ Changes in 1.9.x (since the 1.8.x series):
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|||
** `(rnrs io ports)', a subset of the R6RS I/O port API
|
||||
** `(system xref)', a cross-referencing facility (FIXME undocumented)
|
||||
|
||||
** Imported statprof, SSAX, and texinfo modules from Guile-Lib
|
||||
|
||||
The statprof statistical profiler, the SSAX XML toolkit, and the texinfo
|
||||
toolkit from Guile-Lib have been imported into Guile proper. See
|
||||
"Standard Library" in the manual for more details.
|
||||
|
||||
* Changes to the stand-alone interpreter
|
||||
|
||||
** Guile now can compile Scheme to bytecode for a custom virtual machine.
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|
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@ -57,6 +246,22 @@ Running Guile with no arguments drops the user into the new REPL. While
|
|||
it is self-documenting to an extent, the new REPL has not yet been
|
||||
documented in the manual. This will be fixed before 2.0.
|
||||
|
||||
** Function profiling and tracing at the REPL
|
||||
|
||||
The `,profile FORM' REPL meta-command can now be used to statistically
|
||||
profile execution of a form, to see which functions are taking the most
|
||||
time. See `,help profile' for more information.
|
||||
|
||||
Similarly, `,trace FORM' traces all function applications that occur
|
||||
during the execution of `FORM'. See `,help trace' for more information.
|
||||
|
||||
** New debugger
|
||||
|
||||
By default, if an exception is raised at the REPL and not caught by user
|
||||
code, Guile will drop the user into a debugger. The user may request a
|
||||
backtrace, inspect frames, or continue raising the exception. Full
|
||||
documentation is available from within the debugger.
|
||||
|
||||
** New `guile-tools' commands: `compile', `disassemble'
|
||||
|
||||
Pass the `--help' command-line option to these commands for more
|
||||
|
|
@ -73,6 +278,15 @@ include `/path/to/lib'.
|
|||
Backtraces may now be disclosed with the keyboard in addition to the
|
||||
mouse.
|
||||
|
||||
** Load path change: search in version-specific paths before site paths
|
||||
|
||||
When looking for a module, Guile now searches first in Guile's
|
||||
version-specific path (the library path), *then* in the site dir. This
|
||||
allows Guile's copy of SSAX to override any Guile-Lib copy the user has
|
||||
installed. Also it should cut the number of `stat' system calls by half,
|
||||
in the common case.
|
||||
|
||||
|
||||
* Changes to Scheme functions and syntax
|
||||
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||||
** New implementation of `primitive-eval'
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||||
|
|
@ -191,11 +405,12 @@ combining arity and formals. For example:
|
|||
Additionally, `module-commentary' is now publically exported from
|
||||
`(ice-9 session).
|
||||
|
||||
** Deprecated: `procedure->memoizing-macro', `procedure->syntax'
|
||||
** Removed: `procedure->memoizing-macro', `procedure->syntax'
|
||||
|
||||
These procedures will not work with syncase expansion, and indeed are
|
||||
not used in the normal course of Guile. They are still used by the old
|
||||
Emacs Lisp support, however.
|
||||
These procedures created primitive fexprs for the old evaluator, and are
|
||||
no longer supported. If you feel that you need these functions, you
|
||||
probably need to write your own metacircular evaluator (which will
|
||||
probably be as fast as Guile's, anyway).
|
||||
|
||||
** New language: ECMAScript
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
@ -245,11 +460,19 @@ like this works now:
|
|||
It used to be you had to export `helper' from `(foo)' as well.
|
||||
Thankfully, this has been fixed.
|
||||
|
||||
** New function, `procedure-module'
|
||||
** Complete support for version information in Guile's `module' form
|
||||
|
||||
Guile modules now have a `#:version' field. They may be loaded by
|
||||
version as well. See "R6RS Version References", "General Information
|
||||
about Modules", "Using Guile Modules", and "Creating Guile Modules" in
|
||||
the manual for more information.
|
||||
|
||||
While useful on its own, `procedure-module' is used by psyntax on syntax
|
||||
transformers to determine the module in which to scope introduced
|
||||
identifiers.
|
||||
** Support for renaming bindings on module export
|
||||
|
||||
Wherever Guile accepts a symbol as an argument to specify a binding to
|
||||
export, it now also accepts a pair of symbols, indicating that a binding
|
||||
should be renamed on export. See "Creating Guile Modules" in the manual
|
||||
for more information.
|
||||
|
||||
** `eval-case' has been deprecated, and replaced by `eval-when'.
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
@ -582,6 +805,55 @@ compatibility purposes. No semantic change has been made (we hope).
|
|||
Optional and keyword arguments now dispatch via special VM operations,
|
||||
without the need to cons rest arguments, making them very fast.
|
||||
|
||||
** New function, `truncated-print', with `format' support
|
||||
|
||||
`(ice-9 pretty-print)' now exports `truncated-print', a printer that
|
||||
will ensure that the output stays within a certain width, truncating the
|
||||
output in what is hopefully an intelligent manner. See the manual for
|
||||
more details.
|
||||
|
||||
There is a new `format' specifier, `~@y', for doing a truncated
|
||||
print (as opposed to `~y', which does a pretty-print). See the `format'
|
||||
documentation for more details.
|
||||
|
||||
** SRFI-4 vectors reimplemented in terms of R6RS bytevectors
|
||||
|
||||
Guile now implements SRFI-4 vectors using bytevectors. Often when you
|
||||
have a numeric vector, you end up wanting to write its bytes somewhere,
|
||||
or have access to the underlying bytes, or read in bytes from somewhere
|
||||
else. Bytevectors are very good at this sort of thing. But the SRFI-4
|
||||
APIs are nicer to use when doing number-crunching, because they are
|
||||
addressed by element and not by byte.
|
||||
|
||||
So as a compromise, Guile allows all bytevector functions to operate on
|
||||
numeric vectors. They address the underlying bytes in the native
|
||||
endianness, as one would expect.
|
||||
|
||||
Following the same reasoning, that it's just bytes underneath, Guile
|
||||
also allows uniform vectors of a given type to be accessed as if they
|
||||
were of any type. One can fill a u32vector, and access its elements with
|
||||
u8vector-ref. One can use f64vector-ref on bytevectors. It's all the
|
||||
same to Guile.
|
||||
|
||||
In this way, uniform numeric vectors may be written to and read from
|
||||
input/output ports using the procedures that operate on bytevectors.
|
||||
|
||||
Calls to SRFI-4 accessors (ref and set functions) from Scheme are now
|
||||
inlined to the VM instructions for bytevector access.
|
||||
|
||||
See "SRFI-4" in the manual, for more information.
|
||||
|
||||
** Nonstandard SRFI-4 procedures now available from `(srfi srfi-4 gnu)'
|
||||
|
||||
Guile's `(srfi srfi-4)' now only exports those srfi-4 procedures that
|
||||
are part of the standard. Complex uniform vectors and the
|
||||
`any->FOOvector' family are now available only from `(srfi srfi-4 gnu)'.
|
||||
|
||||
Guile's default environment imports `(srfi srfi-4)', and probably should
|
||||
import `(srfi srfi-4 gnu)' as well.
|
||||
|
||||
See "SRFI-4 Extensions" in the manual, for more information.
|
||||
|
||||
** New syntax: include-from-path.
|
||||
|
||||
`include-from-path' is like `include', except it looks for its file in
|
||||
|
|
@ -676,12 +948,6 @@ Guile can also warn when you pass the wrong number of arguments to a
|
|||
procedure, with -Warity-mismatch, or `arity-mismatch' in the
|
||||
`#:warnings' as above.
|
||||
|
||||
** New macro type: syncase-macro
|
||||
|
||||
XXX Need to decide whether to document this for 2.0, probably should:
|
||||
make-syncase-macro, make-extended-syncase-macro, macro-type,
|
||||
syncase-macro-type, syncase-macro-binding
|
||||
|
||||
** A new `memoize-symbol' evaluator trap has been added.
|
||||
|
||||
This trap can be used for efficiently implementing a Scheme code
|
||||
|
|
@ -864,7 +1130,7 @@ procedure are now just regular VM closures. As a result, there is a
|
|||
newly free tc3, and a number of removed macros. See the ChangeLog for
|
||||
details.
|
||||
|
||||
** Simplify representation of primitive procedures
|
||||
** Primitive procedures are now VM trampoline procedures
|
||||
|
||||
It used to be that there were something like 12 different typecodes
|
||||
allocated to primitive procedures, each with its own calling convention.
|
||||
|
|
@ -873,6 +1139,60 @@ defining a procedure using scm_c_make_subr rather scm_c_make_gsubr. The
|
|||
solution is to switch to use scm_c_make_gsubr. This solution works well
|
||||
both with the old 1.8 and and with the current 1.9 branch.
|
||||
|
||||
Guile's old evaluator used to have special cases for applying "gsubrs",
|
||||
primitive procedures with specified numbers of required, optional, and
|
||||
rest arguments. Now, however, Guile represents gsubrs as normal VM
|
||||
procedures, with appropriate bytecode to parse out the correct number of
|
||||
arguments, including optional and rest arguments, and then with a
|
||||
special bytecode to apply the gsubr.
|
||||
|
||||
This allows primitive procedures to appear on the VM stack, allowing
|
||||
them to be accurately counted in profiles. Also they now have more
|
||||
debugging information attached to them -- their number of arguments, for
|
||||
example. In addition, the VM can completely inline the application
|
||||
mechanics, allowing for faster primitive calls.
|
||||
|
||||
However there are some changes on the C level. There is no more
|
||||
`scm_tc7_gsubr' or `scm_tcs_subrs' typecode for primitive procedures, as
|
||||
they are just VM procedures. Likewise the macros `SCM_GSUBR_TYPE',
|
||||
`SCM_GSUBR_MAKTYPE', `SCM_GSUBR_REQ', `SCM_GSUBR_OPT', and
|
||||
`SCM_GSUBR_REST' are gone, as are `SCM_SUBR_META_INFO', `SCM_SUBR_PROPS'
|
||||
`SCM_SET_SUBR_GENERIC_LOC', and `SCM_SUBR_ARITY_TO_TYPE'.
|
||||
|
||||
Perhaps more significantly, `scm_c_make_subr',
|
||||
`scm_c_make_subr_with_generic', `scm_c_define_subr', and
|
||||
`scm_c_define_subr_with_generic'. They all operated on subr typecodes,
|
||||
and there are no more subr typecodes. Use the scm_c_make_gsubr family
|
||||
instead.
|
||||
|
||||
Normal users of gsubrs should not be affected, though, as the
|
||||
scm_c_make_gsubr family still is the correct way to create primitive
|
||||
procedures.
|
||||
|
||||
** Remove deprecated array C interfaces
|
||||
|
||||
Removed the deprecated array functions `scm_i_arrayp',
|
||||
`scm_i_array_ndim', `scm_i_array_mem', `scm_i_array_v',
|
||||
`scm_i_array_base', `scm_i_array_dims', and the deprecated macros
|
||||
`SCM_ARRAYP', `SCM_ARRAY_NDIM', `SCM_ARRAY_CONTP', `SCM_ARRAY_MEM',
|
||||
`SCM_ARRAY_V', `SCM_ARRAY_BASE', and `SCM_ARRAY_DIMS'.
|
||||
|
||||
** Remove unused snarf macros
|
||||
|
||||
`SCM_DEFINE1', `SCM_PRIMITIVE_GENERIC_1', `SCM_PROC1, and `SCM_GPROC1'
|
||||
are no more. Use SCM_DEFINE or SCM_PRIMITIVE_GENERIC instead.
|
||||
|
||||
** Add foreign value wrapper
|
||||
|
||||
Guile now has a datatype for aliasing "foreign" values, such as native
|
||||
long values. This should be useful for making a proper foreign function
|
||||
interface. Interested hackers should see libguile/foreign.h.
|
||||
|
||||
** New functions: `scm_call_n', `scm_c_run_hookn'
|
||||
|
||||
`scm_call_n' applies to apply a function to an array of arguments.
|
||||
`scm_c_run_hookn' runs a hook with an array of arguments.
|
||||
|
||||
** Some SMOB types changed to have static typecodes
|
||||
|
||||
Fluids, dynamic states, and hash tables used to be SMOB objects, but now
|
||||
|
|
@ -887,6 +1207,19 @@ in the future. Code accessing SMOBs using SCM_CELL macros was never
|
|||
correct, but until now things still worked. Users should be aware of
|
||||
such changes.
|
||||
|
||||
** Changed invocation mechanics of applicable SMOBs
|
||||
|
||||
Guile's old evaluator used to have special cases for applying SMOB
|
||||
objects. Now, with the VM, when Guile sees a SMOB, it looks up a VM
|
||||
trampoline procedure for it, and use the normal mechanics to apply the
|
||||
trampoline. This simplifies procedure application in the normal,
|
||||
non-SMOB case.
|
||||
|
||||
The upshot is that the mechanics used to apply a SMOB are different from
|
||||
1.8. Descriptors no longer have `apply_0', `apply_1', `apply_2', and
|
||||
`apply_3' functions, and the macros SCM_SMOB_APPLY_0 and friends are now
|
||||
deprecated. Just use the scm_call_0 family of procedures.
|
||||
|
||||
** New C function: scm_module_public_interface
|
||||
|
||||
This procedure corresponds to Scheme's `module-public-interface'.
|
||||
|
|
|
|||
Loading…
Add table
Add a link
Reference in a new issue